Create a Powerful Promotional Offer

Drive sales and generate leads by offering customers something of value

by Wendi Caplan-Carroll, Constant Contact Regional Development Director, NY Metro

Now is a great time for retailers, service providers, entrepreneurs, and other businesses to connect with customers and attract prospects with a special offer. Let's look at two types of email marketing promotions: those that drive sales and those that generate leads.

Direct response offers

If people can buy your products or services directly from your website, by picking up the phone, or by walking into your store, then a direct response email offer can work for you. These kinds of promotions are designed to drive immediate sales as a result of customers receiving your email.

Some examples include a coupon for dollars or a percentage off a sale, a "buy one, get one free" offer, a giveaway that complements a purchase (such as "Buy $100 worth of gardening supplies, get a free houseplant"), or an incentive to register for an event or engage your services ("Sign up for our web design package by May 1 and get 25 percent off").

Successful email offers create a sense of urgency and set an end date: "Hurry! Free shipping ends at midnight!" or "Get 'em while they're hot: Promotion ends Sunday."

Lead generating offers

Some businesses need to nurture their leads before they can turn prospects into paying customers. Examples of promotions that inform, educate, and attract potential customers are "Download our free white paper," "Email us to make an appointment for a free 15-minute phone consultation," and "For a free sample of our product, please visit our website and sign up for our newsletter."

The goal of this type of promotional offer is to gauge interest from prospects that need several touch points before they're ready to make a decision to buy your products or engage your services.

Creating an Effective Email Promotional Offer

Whether your goal is to drive direct sales or generate interest in your business, these tips can help you create a more powerful, successful email special offer.

1. Know your audience. Offer them something of perceived value. The key to any successful promotional offer is knowing what drives your audience and giving them something of perceived value. What that is will be different for different people, but whatever you choose, it will add value to the purchase. For example, cost-conscious consumers are driven by pure savings, and may respond to a "buy one, get one free" offer. Those who prefer "a little something extra" may be more enticed with a free evaluation, gift card, or sample product.

To say this a different way, a shoe boutique catering to fashionable teens might conduct an email campaign promoting a $10 iTunes gift card with every $100 purchase. But a discount type of shoe store targeting working moms on a budget might do better with a "buy one, get one half off" promotion.

Brainstorm ideas with your colleagues and staff: Draw the curtains and put all the ideas on the table. Think about what drives your audience and what type of promotional offer would be perceived as most valuable to them.

2. Be clear about what you want to achieve. Be true to your bottom line. Have a goal in mind before you create your email special offer. Is it driving sales to a certain segment of your audience? Or generating leads in a specific area you want to develop?

Don't do a promotional offer just because your competition is. Have a clear objective in mind as well as a benchmark to measure your promotion?s success. Be mindful of your bottom line. A "free" or "half price" offer might create a big response; make sure your business can afford it.

3. Include a clear call to action. Set a firm deadline. Keep the messaging of your email special offer simple and direct. Make sure your call to action is clear and moves readers to click, whether it's to make a direct purchase, register for something on your website, or submit a form for more information. If you have a staff, make sure they're aware of the special offer when customers call (or you'll lose credibility). Set a firm deadline when the promotional offer ends.

4. Partner with a kindred business and double your promotional power. Now is a great time for complementary businesses to do special email offers together that cross-promote to their audiences and increase each others' mailing lists. For example, a bookstore partners with a coffeeshop for a "buy a book, get a free cup of coffee next door" email special offer. Similarly, a graphic design firm could team up with a web developer, a veterinary clinic could join paws with a local groomer, a tax accountant could join forces with a small-business attorney, and so on.

Consider partnering with a charity -- donating your products or services (or a percentage of a sale) and mentioning the cause in your email newsletter. Expand your voice and support for other businesses and organizations in your community. There's power in teamwork and the potential for creative, mutually successful email promotional offers. And, consumers like to purchase from businesses that give back to their communities.

These economic times bring new opportunities for businesses to speak to customers' concerns about what's most important to them. Promotional offers can make your business more attractive to customers while boosting your revenue and broadening your exposure.

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